


Chemical Bonding: A Chandlure Trainez One Shot

by Chandlure



Category: One Piece
Genre: Bittersweet, Family, Flashback, Friendship, Love, Pirates, Usopp's badass, chemistry experiments, pirates fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23626057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chandlure/pseuds/Chandlure
Summary: When Usopp does something seemingly out of the ordinary when fighting an enemy, he is brought back to a memory from when he was much younger. To a kind man, with blonde dreads, who went through a chemistry experiment with him that inspired the attack.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Chemical Bonding: A Chandlure Trainez One Shot

_A Chandlure Trainez One Shot_

* * *

**Chemical Bonding  
**

* * *

Usopp ducked behind a boulder and pressed his chin to his chest. A large explosion went off behind him just as he covered his head with his arms. He twisted, pulling himself onto his knees so that he could see the group of pirates fighting on the beach. About halfway across the beach, Nami and Chopper were struggling against a constant stream of jeering pirates. Knowing that he would need to take action, or never hear the end of it, Usopp tightened his fingers around the handle of Kuro Kabuto. He burst from his hiding place, and scurried towards them, just barely dodging Sanji's vicious kick at his sparring partners. The blonde knocked out close to a dozen of the enemy pirates, kicking several in the head and stomach. He looked as suave and casual as ever, watching the pirates as they were sent flying into the group fighting with Zoro.

Usopp moved back a few steps, not bothering to hold back an eye-roll when Zoro came at Sanji, annoyed that the other man knocked out the men he was supposed to fight. "Oi, knock it off you two! We are in the middle of a battle, keep the fighting concentrated on the enemy!" He slipped between them, letting three pieces of ammo leave his slingshot. The ammo hit the backs of three of the men Nami and Chopper were fighting. He took four more pieces from his bag and shot them into the air. They flew past the fighters, Nami and Chopper, making their way towards the lake behind them.

"Nami, Chopper, get out of the way!" Usopp called, shaking his long curly hair from his eyes. Their eyes locked on him for one confused moment, barely being missed by the projectiles he shot as they moved just in the nick of time. Large spikes shot up from the ground where they had been mere seconds earlier, effectively trapping some of the enemy pirates that had been after them.

Nami went to help Robin out, her eyes scanning over Usopp to catalog any injuries before she went. Chopper ran to Usopp, his eyes locked on the lake behind the enemy. "What are you going to do?" The curious reindeer asked, turning so that he could cover Usopp's back.

"Just watch," Usopp smirked. His smirk turned into a grimace and a groan of annoyance, as he ducked. Luffy spun in the air, sending five men over Usopp and Chopper's heads, and into the lake. "Damn it, Luffy!"

"Sorry!" Luffy laughed, sliding to the left and punching the guy beside him in the face before turning and kicking another in the stomach.

Usopp shook his head and took aim; the spikes he had sent towards the enemy were starting to disintegrate. "Damn it, gotta move quickly." He let out a growl deep in his throat and shot five pieces of ammo towards the trapped men. Three groups of spikes sprouted once again from the ground, catching one of the men in the side. Blood slid down the man's side, but Usopp ignored it, shooting more ammo into the water behind them.

"Ha!" the injured man sneered, "you missed! Some kinda sniper you are!"

Nami and the others stopped to watch Usopp momentarily, "eh, what's wrong with Usopp? He never misses?" Luffy asked, scratching his head, punching one of the last enemies in the face distractedly.

"What the hell is that shit-sniper doing‽" Sanji muttered to himself, lighting a cigarette as he kicked one of the guys he was facing in the face with such force he slammed into a man behind him and knocked out another behind that one.

"Usopp, c'mon!" Nami muttered to herself, sending a _Lightning Tempo_ towards three tall men who were leering at her.

"I didn't miss," Usopp explained after a moment, an amused smirk on his lips.

"What are you talking about? We just saw you shoot those things into the water!" The bleeding man sneered, causing the group he was with to jeer at Usopp. The rest of the Straw Hats glowered at them but didn't comment, because they too saw what happened.

Usopp shook his head and chuckled, "but I didn't." He stuck his hands into his pockets and grinned brightly at the group. "I'll try and keep this as simple as possible. By itself, the chemical Zinc Oxide is nontoxic. It is commonly used in things that we use every day such as batteries, sealants, glass, rubbers, lubricants, and first aid. But if one were to add water, ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride to Zinc Oxide, well, the amount I added will knock out any person within a 30-foot radius." he paused for a moment, "Oh, I should probably mention that when the chemical hits the water it creates fire." As if on cue flames started surrounding the men, each moment that passed the fire seemed to grow fiercer, as white smoke began to billow from the flames.

"Chances are, with this amount, you will pass out from the poisonous gas if you can't get far away from it. Unfortunately, you won't be able to escape because in front of you there are also poisonous spikes. You are effectively surrounded. He turned away from the men and began to walk back to the Thousand Sunny.

Nami and Chopper ran up to them, their eyes wide with disbelief. "What was that‽" Nami hissed, gripping Usopp on his forearm. Chopper jumped onto Usopp's shoulder and held onto his friend's hair.

"Are you okay?" The tiny reindeer asked fearfully, unused to seeing his friend act so darkly. Luffy, sometimes. Sanji, ok. Robin and Zoro, certainly, but Usopp? That was out of character.

Usopp laughed, his eyes shining with mirth, "The fire will go out and they won't be harmed in any way by the spikes, they aren't actually poisoned. Sure the fumes that the chemicals and the water created might cause them to be ill, but any competent doctor should be able to have them in tip-top shape by the end of the week."

Sure enough, when they turned back to survey the damage, the fire had died and the spikes were gone. The men were on the floor looking a bit ill but certainly nowhere near death. "That is so cool!" Chopper said, eyes wide. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Usopp shrugged, "a pirate taught me. I was struggling with the theoretical experiment they were making us do and he ran me through the experiment to help me understand it better."

"I thought Syrup hadn't been visited by pirates for years?" Nami asked, twining her fingers behind her back as she walked.

"Oh, Syrup hadn't been, but I went to school North of the archipelago called Curran Island. It is under some pirate crew's protection. The pirates visited there often because there was always some conflict or another with a neighboring island." Usopp breathed through his nose heavily before continuing. "My grandmother owns a bar on the island that she and my grandfather live on top of. Pirates, bar, you do the math there. Other than that one occurrence, I've never spoken to any of them. I think my grandparents thought it best that I didn't get involved with them."

"Did you ever figure out why?" Chopper asked, pulling on Usopp's forehead to get him to look up.

"I have some idea." He stopped at the foot of the Thousand Sunny, waves lapping at the tips of his boots. He glanced out at the horizon and shrugged, momentarily thinking of his father. "But it is a long-shot."

_Curran Island: Nine Years Prior_

"Ugh, where is it‽" Usopp grumbled to himself, flipping through the pages of the science book in front of him.

"Are you okay there, Lad?" asked the man sitting at the wooden table beside him.

Usopp spared him a glance, eyes scanning over the blonde dreadlock haired man before sliding back to his book. An annoyed expression marring his face. "There is this experiment using zinc oxide that causes fire when added to water. We aren't allowed to do the experiment in class, only the professor. But I just don't understand it. If I can find the experiment and do it myself, I can probably understand it better."

The man hummed and sat down beside him, pulling one of the books Usopp had yet to touch towards him. "Zinc? Well, from what I remember from the chemistry classes I took, zinc is something that is not naturally occurring, but rather exists in metals." He paused for a moment as he flipped through the book in his hands. "It was used for hundreds of years before anyone knew what it really was." He hummed to himself as he thought.

"If I remember correctly the Romans- those were a group of people that lived many years before the world government began to rule the entire world. Before every island lived under one rule, there used to be things known as countries, the Romans lived in Rome." At Usopp's annoyed expression he paused his history lesson, "anyway, the Romans used to smelt copper ores that had zinc in them and were making weapons out of brass without having any idea."

"I know that already! I also know that zinc is one of the most used metals on the planet. Metals like iron and steel were made into pipes and those pipes were dipped into molten zinc. The zinc was used as a coating to protect the iron and steel from corroding and crumbling. The process is called galvalitizing... that's not right... gralvanizing?"

"Galvanizing."

"Yeah, that!" Usopp scrunched up his nose, "Zinc can be mixed with ammonium nitrate and then it will ignite when it comes into contact with water- people use this to start fires. But I don't get why."

"Why, they use that to start fires?"

Usopp shook his head, "no! Why adding water to something would cause a fire! Usually, when one adds water to a fire, the fire _dies_. In this case, it starts it. That is very confusing."

Yasopp placed the book he was reading on the table and pushed it so that Usopp could read, "why don't we do the Negative X experiment, instead of the one you did in class? I think this will help you understand things a bit better."

"Can I mix the ingredients‽"

"Of course, but you need to promise me that I can add the water and that when I do you will be standing far back."

Usopp nodded excitedly, "of course!"

"Oi! Is that experiment safe to be doing inside a wooden bar?" Lucky asked, pausing from his large bone of meat to look at his crew-mate dubiously.

"You burn down my bar and you'll be banned," called Usopp's grandmother from where she was wiping down the bar.

"Calm down you old bat. We are not going to burn down your bar." Yasopp snapped, pushing his hair from his eyes to glare at the old woman.

"Is that how you talk to your own mot-"

Yasopp clapped his hands together and smiled down at Usopp, who was watching the exchange with confusion."Hey!" Usopp blinked up at him owlishly, "can you go get me that fireproof mat your grandmother keeps in the kitchen?"

Usopp narrowed his eyes at him as if trying to figure something out. After a moment he merely shrugged and scurried away from the table. His tiny sandaled feet slapping against the stone floor as he made his way to the back of the bar.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you crazy old coot!" Yasopp hissed angrily, turning back to his mother-in-law. "He's not supposed to know _anything_."

Usopp's grandmother scoffed, "It was an accident. Calm that bleach-blonde head of yours. That boy is less observant than a fly."

"I seriously doubt that. If we aren't careful and he finds out it'll make it harder for him when I leave again. Make sure those _accidents_ don't become frequent ones." Yasopp's serious face brightened as Usopp rushed into the room with a large asbestos mat.

"You should've thought about that before you left," Usopp's grandmother muttered as she continued to wipe down the counter.

Yasopp threw her a filthy look over his shoulder before turning back to his son. As Usopp laid the mat on the table, he walked over to the shelf on the other side of the bar and glanced about, picking up seemingly random vials before returning.

Usopp pulled the vials from Yasopp's hands and lined them up on the table in alphabetical order. He ran away from the area back into the kitchen. The sound of drawers opening and slamming sounded until a cry of triumph filled the room before Usopp pitter-pattered his way back into the room.

Usopp skidded to a stop at the table and pulled out a chair, kneeling on it to give himself some height. He opened up the top to the zinc dust and gently scooped out a teaspoon of the dust, placing it in the middle of the mat. Next, he took half a teaspoon of ammonium nitrate, slowly mixing both together. He bit his tongue, taking a couple of grains of ammonium chloride and placing it on top. He took a small drink stir stick and carefully made a slight depression in the pile before jumping off of the chair and stepping back.

Yasopp took the dropper beside the mat and opened up the vial labeled water. He squeezed some in and stepped back next to Usopp. "Ready?"

Usopp nodded and Yasopp leaned over to allow one drop of water to fall on the mixture. The rest of the bar had stopped their chatter to stare, curious as to what was going to happen.

Usopp's eyes widened as the zinc ignited and a blue-white flame flashed up before his eyes. He turned to see Yasopp turning on the ceiling fans and the other people in the bar opening the windows. When he turned back to the experiment, he realized why. A thick cloud of white smoke had appeared over where the flame had appeared.

Yasopp pulled Usopp away from the area, grabbing the book and handing it to Usopp. "Write me a paragraph on what happened and any questions you may have. Add an explanation on why we don't use water for chemical fires as well." He shooed Usopp away to his room and began to clean up the mess.

Pulling his hair away from his face before typing it at the nape of his neck. He reached down and gathered up the vials, capping them and walking them back over to the chemical wall to be put back in their proper place.

Going back over to the table, he picked up the mat and took it outside. Placing it on the porch in the backyard; he'd deal with it after. He gathered up the rest of Usopp's things, walking back and forth between his son's room and the table.

He sighed, going behind the bar and reaching under the sink to take out a clean sponge. He wet it with a bit of water and walked back to the table, wiping it off and replacing the tablecloth and napkin holder with the salt and pepper shakers back on the table.

He went back to his crew, smiling and laughing with his friends, his eyes trained on his son's room. When Usopp came out, the boy stood by the bar, staring shyly at him with the paper clenched in his hands. Yasopp smiled brightly and motioned for him to come over, taking the paper from his son's hands. He nodded as he read it over before folding it in half and placing it under his beer.

"So, do you understand now?"

Usopp nodded earnestly, "when you added the water it aided in a chemical reaction that causes a reaction in the ammonia, hydrochloric acid, water, and nitrous oxide. The oxygen that comes from the nitrous oxide ignites violently along with the zinc and it forms zinc oxide which is white. As a powder, Zinc has a huge surface area, you add water to it and it is oxidized which causes a large amount of heat. Ammonium nitrate is a strong oxidizing agent which only makes the reaction happen faster. This causes the zinc to burn in the air. Oh, and the fumes are bad for you. You could die from breathing them in if you are exposed to them for too long."

Yasopp hummed, "that is very good!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy bar, "here. For all of your hard work."

Usopp's eyes widened as he accepted the treat, "thank you!" He squealed, leaning over to hug the man before pulling away and blushing. "S-sorry." He looked down at the bar in his hands and smiled, "I really appreciate this. I'm going to go share some with Kaya."

Usopp waved goodbye and ran out the room. "Usopp, be back by six for dinner!" His grandmother called after him, but he was already halfway down the street and hadn't heard her. "That boy, nothing like my sweet calm Banchina." She turned to look at Yasopp, "he is all you except for his intelligence. The boy actually has a good head on his shoulders."

Yasopp scowled and turned away from her to guzzle down the last of his beer, pushing his chair back and shaking his head to get the hair out of his eyes. He placed his hands in his pockets and weaved through his crew-mates, making his way towards the bathroom. He stopped about halfway, in front of a photograph of Banchina, and gently ran his fingers over the smooth glass before sighing and continuing his journey.

He paused once again at the threshold to Usopp's bedroom, his eyes taking in the decorated walls and notebooks that littered the entire living space. There were various maps, posters, photographs and a few framed drawings that filled up every square inch of the bedroom- the pale yellow he had painted the room years prior in no way visible.

He felt his heart clench, his eyes landing on a small stuffed armadillo that he had given Usopp as an infant. Slowly, cautiously, he walked into the room and sat upon Usopp's small bed, taking the stuffed toy into his slightly shaking hands.

It had definitely seen better days. One of the eyes was missing and the body had been stitched more times than Yasopp himself. The fabric was worn and cotton was sticking out from various parts of its overstuffed body. Yasopp smiled warmly, it was more than obvious that Usopp was still attached to it.

Standing up, Yasopp hugged the armadillo close and kissed it before placing it back on the bed. He dropped his face into his hands and scrubbed them roughly over his eyes and cheeks. Breathing heavily, he looked up, running his fingers through his hair as he forced out a deep shaky breath. The tips of his eyes were a bit wet, but he ignored the feeling as he took one last look around the room before walking out and closing the door firmly behind himself.

He leaned back against the door and took in deep calming breaths. When he felt he had himself under control he pushed off the door and headed to the bathroom. His left hand ran over his eyes as he walked away from the room.

"Perhaps Usopp being like you isn't such a terrible thing, after all, My Son." Usopp's grandmother whispered as she observed Yasopp from afar.


End file.
